Annaleigh Ashford and Lena Hall Step Out of Broadway's Kinky Boots March 2

By .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
02 Mar 2014

Annaleigh Ashford

Tony Award nominee Annaleigh Ashford and Lena Hall, original cast members in the Tony-winning hit Kinky Boots, depart the Broadway production of the musical March 2 at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre.

Ashford, who earned a Tony nomination for her performance as Lauren, exits the production to film the next season of the Showtime series "Masters of Sex." She will be succeeded by Jeanna de Waal on March 4. Hall exits the production to play Yitzhak in the Broadway premiere of Hedwig and the Angry Inch with Neil Patrick Harris. Kinky Boots cast member Cortney Wolfson will step into the role of Nicola.

Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell (2004's La Cage aux Folles, Legally Blonde, Catch Me If You Can), who created the high-energy dances that sent audiences and cast members into a frenzy during Hairspray, directs and choreographs Kinky Boots, which is bedazzled with a series of show-stopping numbers by Porter and a bevy of drag performers.

Here's how it's billed: "In Kinky Boots, Charlie Price (Sands) has suddenly inherited his father’s shoe factory, which is on the verge of bankruptcy. Trying to live up to his father’s legacy and save his family business, Charlie finds inspiration in the form of Lola (Porter). A fabulous entertainer in need of some sturdy stilettos, Lola turns out to be the one person who can help Charlie become the man he’s meant to be. As they work to turn the factory around, this unlikely pair finds that they have more in common than they ever dreamed possible… and discovers that when you change your mind about someone, you can change your whole world."

Musical supervision, arrangements and orchestrations for Kinky Boots are by Tony Award winner Stephen Oremus (The Book of Mormon, Wicked).